Floating breaker switch for ignition systems



July 2, 1946. H L I 2,403,283

FLOATING BREAKER SWITCH FOR IGNITION SYSTEMS Filed April 24, 1943 INVENTOR.

i atented July 2, .1946 r V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FLOATING BREAKER SWITCH FOR IGNITION SYSTEMS 11 Claims. 1

This invention relates to the breaker switch structure in an ignition system for an internal combustion engine.

The chief object of the present invention is to provide better engine performance and longer life of switch parts and associated parts, all as hereinafter more fully pointed out.

The chief feature of the present invention con sists in providing in an ignition system breaker switch structure, a floating switch arrangement requiring duality of contact making and breaking, thereby, in effect, increasing the speed of breaking the circuit and the speed of reestablishing the circuit thus increasing the dwell angle with the result that at high engine speeds the ignition coil builds up faster and hence to a higher voltage and this, by reason of the floating character of the structure, is perfectly synchronized at all times, notwithstanding duality of breaking and making of the circuit.

Another feature of the invention is the adjustment mechanism for determining the air gap of the structure, which is of such character that comparatively large increments of one adl'ustmost are reflected as small increments of air gap adjustment and as to both gap sides of the same are simultaneously adjusted.

Other objects and features of the invention will be set forth more fully hereinafter.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawing and the following description and claims.

In the drawing:

i 1 is a plan view of a portion of the dis tributor of an ignition system of an eight cylinder engine, with the cover cap and rotor contact of the distributor removed since these are of conventional character, the invention being embodied in that part of the distributor illustrated in this figure.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the gap adjusting portion of the invention and is taken approximately on line 2--2 of Fig. 1 and in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 3 is a side-view of the adjustment mechanism and a sectional view of the" mounting portion on the same and the spring.

In the drawing l indicates the casing of a conventional distributor upon which is mounted I aforesaid nut and shaft.

l The plate has ears l5 formed therein for ball retention and the casing has an annular groove [6 in which the balls ride. This facilitates plate rotation for spark advance or retardation.

An insulated post H is carried by the casing and introduces current to the device. The distributor shaft 18 is rotatably supported by the casing and engine operable in the usual manner. It amounts (herein for an eight cylinder engine) an octagonal nut l9. The cap exposed free end of shaft I8 is notched as at 20 and recessed as at 2! to lockingly seat the conventional rotor contact not shown.

This rotor supplies energy in succession, as it rotates with shaft l8, to the several ignition contacts in the cap (not shown), each of which in turn is connected to a conventional spark plug.

All of the aforesaid is conventional to the distributor art, so no further reference will be had to this construction. The plate [3 mounts stud 12 having annular groove 22 in its free end. An insulation collar 23 is freely rotatable on stud 2| and is retained thereon by slotted angle retainer 24. A dual branched spring has its central portion 25 partially encircling collar 23 and is pinned thereto as at 25. Each arched arm 21 of said spring terminates in an apertured end 28 to which is suitably secured in insulated relation what might be termed the midportion 29 of a semi-circular-like lever 30. and, if desired, simultaneously secured thereto when and where the lever is rigidized with the spring arm, is an insulation bearing member 3| herein shown of angle form.

The arched portions of the spring embrace, as it were, the upper portion of nut l9 and shaft l8. The two levers 30 encircle, as it were, the The lower adjacent ends 32 of said levers terminate in contact forming portions with confronting contact faces 33 where the ignition circuit is actually made and broken. Th upper ends 34 of said levers are pivotally mounted in a manner to be set forth more fully hereinafter.

Spring arms 21 tend to force levers 30 together to maintain faces 33 in contact with each other. Diametrical lobes or high points of nut l9 supposedly simultaneously engage faces 3 I a of insulation members 3| carried by levers 30 and separate said levers to open the circuit across faces 33 in opposition to spring 21.

Now, if one lobe is slightly worn more than another, or one bearing member is slightly different, or wears more than the other, the pivotal mounting of the unit, as by collar 23, insures au- Inwardly thereof tomatic compensation, so that both faces move towards and away from each other simultaneously, respectively.

This means that simultaneously the predetermined gap is made twice as fast as a singular breaking structure and closed twice as fast with the desirable results previously described. Dual movement of circuit members having a singular gap is old per se and is not broadly claimed herein. However, this art defeats its own .purpose because the compensation accommodation above described is omitted therefrom.

Reference will now be had to Figs. 1, 2 and 3. Each upper end 34 of lever 30 is r-shaped and the bar portion has an inclination corresponding to the taper of a frusto-conical adjusting fulcrum 40. This fulcrum has longitudinal element grooves 4| therein spaced equidistant from each other, and herein four in number. A greater or lesser number may be provided if desired or required. Each bar portion 34 is of insulation such as fibre.

Fulcrum 40 includes threaded stem 42 projecting from one (and the smaller) end and the opposite end is provided with a tool engageable portion as slot 43 for screw driver application. When fulcrum 40 is screwed into its support, the fulcrum rotates and in so doing the lever ends are caused to unseat from the several grooves and seat in successive grooves. If desired the fulcrum portion may be of insulation and the bar portions of metal. This is the reverse but not the preferred form.

Since one rotation provides four adjustments and since the ends 34 are elongated, as well as the fulcrum, a wider adjustable range is possible, determinable upon the lead of the thread and pitch or taper on the fulcrum. These factors can be so selected that micrometer adjustment is possible, that is for four grooves, a quarter turn of the fulcrum can increase or decrease the air gap one one-thousandth, or five ten-thousandths of an inch by way of example only. Shim gauge adjustment, which is very unreliable for well known reasons, including the personal equation, therefore, is eliminated.

Note, that in this fulcrum adjustment, the effect thereof is actually applied in the gap by the lobe contacting of the bearing members. Hence, as the high points and/or the bearing member faces wear, this fulcrum adjustment can compensate for such wear. of course, such adjustment can be used for proper initial setting of the parts.

From the foregoing it will be further understood that the effective change in the gap is the result of relative sliding movement between ends 34 and fulcrum 40.

The rotatable wedge is preferred because of its simplicity in mounting and accessibility for adjustment and because the structure required "for mounting is only a properly tapped hole in the stud 2| and then the slipping of the collar fromthestudandthustheoollarspringsand levers are removed as a unit. Mounting is effected by the reverse of these operations.

Another feature inherent herein is that if the spark control is automatically or vacuum operable for advancing and retarding of the spark, there will be variation in the amount of gap opening over the entire range of conventional spark adjustment.

Since, as illustrated in Fig. l, the several circuit wires are directly connected to the switch contact members (levers 30), the condenser, the insulated terminal post and the frame, and the circuit breaker plate, which is rotatable, is not a part of the circuit, a positive and hence better circuit arrangement is provided, the resistance of which is not variable, except as intended in actual operation.

Still a further advantage of this invention is that the effect known as bouncing at high speed in the distributor is eliminated or reduced. Bouncing means the lobe engages for contact movement. However, such engagement should be only on the high points of the nut. If intermediate engagement results (due to bouncing) the potential built-up in the coil is dissipated before the next high point is engaged. When it is engaged the proper potential is not present in the circuit so that the next plug does not fire. The result is a "miss" in the engine at high speed, which is aptly termed "high speed miss" and this is solely due to the bouncing effect aforesaid, which the present invention eliminates. I

While the invention has been illustrated and described in great detail in the drawing and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character.

The several modifications described herein as well as others which will readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in this art, all are considered to be within the broad scope of the invention, reference being had to the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. An ignition system breaker switch structure including in combination a rotatable actuating member, a pair of levers, one at each side of the member, and substantially encircling same, said members each having a contact at one end and a fulcrum bearing portion at the opposite end, fulcrum means interposed between the bearing portions, member engag'eable means carried by each of the levers between the ends thereof for lever movement, and spring means normally constraining said levers to contact engagement, the fulcrum bearing portions having corresponding inclinations and the fulcrum means inincluding opposed inclined surfaces simultaneously engageable by said portions, the bearing portions and fulcrum means being slldable relative to each other.

2. An ignition system breaker switch structure including in combination a rotatable actuating member, a pair of levers, one at each side of the member, and substantially encircling same, said members each having a contact at one end and a fulcrum bearing portion at the opposite end, fulcrum means interposed between the bearing portions, member engageable means carried by each of the levers between the ends thereof for lever movement, and spring means normally constraining said levers to contact engagement, the fulcrum bearing portions having corresponding inclinations and the fulcrum means including opposed inclined surfaces simultaneously engageable by said portions, the bearing portions and fulcrum means being slidable relative to each other, the inclined surfaces having portion seating grooves therein.

3. An ignition system breaker switch structure including in combination a rotatable actuating member, a pair of levers, one at each side of the member, and substantially encircling same, said members each having a contact at one end and a fulcrum bearing portion at the opposite end, fulcrum means interposed between the bearing portions, member engageable means carried by each of the levers between the ends thereof for lever movement, and spring means normally constraining said levers to contact engagement, the fulcrum bearing portions having corresponding inclinations and the fulcrum means including opposed inclined surfaces simultaneously engageable by said portions, the bearing portions and fulcrum means being slidable relativeto each other, the inclined surfaces having portion seating grooves therein. the fulcrum means being rotatably mounted and of frustoconical type, the surface thereof having spaced longitudinal elemental arranged portion seating grooves therein.

4. An ignition system breaker switch structure including in combination a rotatable actuating member, a pair of arcuate levers, one at each side of the member, and confronting each other for substantially encircling the member, said levers each having a contact at one end and a fulcrum bearing portion at the opposite end, fulcrum means interposed between the bearing portions, member engageable means carried by each of the levers between the ends thereof for lever movement, and spring means normally constraining said levers to contact engagement, the spring means being of singular strap type and rotatably mounted intermediate its ends, and engaged at each end with one of said levers for floatingly supporting the latter.

5. An ignition system breaker switch structure including in combination a rotatable actuating member, a pair of arcuate levers, one at each side of the member. and confronting each other for substantially encircling the member, said levers each having a contact at one end and a fulcrum bearing portion at the opposite end, fulcrum means interposed between the bearing portions, member engageable means carried by each of the levers between the ends thereof for lever movement, and spring means normally constraining said levers to contact engagement, the levers being identical, and the fulcrum means being singular in character for simultaneous adjustment of both levers.

6. An ignition system breaker switch structure including in combination a rotatable actuating member, a pair of levers, one at each side of the member, and substantially encircling same, said members each having a contact at one end and a fulcrum bearing portion at the opposite end, fulcrum means interposed between the bearing portions, member engageable means carried by each of the levers between the ends thereof for lever movement, and spring means normally constraining said levers to contact engagement, the fulcrum bearing portions having corresponding inclinations and the fulcrum means including opposed inclined surfaces simultaneously engageable 'by said portions, the bearing portions and fulcrum means being slidable relative to each other and the spring means is of strap type and rotatably mounted intermediate its ends, and engaged at each end with one of said levers for floatingly supporting the latter.

'7. An ignition system breaker switch structure including in combination a rotatable actuating member, a pair of levers, one at each side of the member, and substantially encircling same, said members each having a contact at one end and a fulcrum bearing portion at the opposite end, fulcrum means interposed between the bearing portions, member engageable means carried by each of the levers between the ends thereof for lever movement, and spring means normally constraining said levers to contact engagement, the fulcrum bearing portions having corresponding inclinations and the fulcrum means including opposed inclined surfaces simultaneously engageable by said portions, the bearing portions and fulcrum means being slidable relative to each other and the spring means is of strap type and rotatably mounted intermediate its ends, and engaged at each end with one of said levers for floatingly supporting the latter, the inclined surfaces being portion seating grooves therein. I

8. An ignition system breaker switch structure including in combination a rotatable actuating member, a pair of levers, one at each side of the member, and substantially encircling same, said members each having a contact at one end and a fulcrum bearing portion at the opposite end, fulcrum means interposed between the bearing portions, member engageable means carried by each of the levers between the ends thereof for lever movement, and spring means normally constraining said levers to contact engagement, the fulcrum bearing portions having corresponding inclinations and the fulcrum means including opposed inclined surfaces simultaneously engageable by said portions, the bearing portions and fulcrum means being slidable relative to each other and the spring means is of strap type and rotatably mounted intermediate its ends, and engaged at each end with one of said levers for floatingly supporting the latter, the fulcrum means being rotatably mounted and of frusto-conical type.

9. An ignition system breaker switch structure including in combination a rotatable actuating member, a pair of levers, one at each side of the member, and substantially encircling same, said members each having a contact at one end and a fulcrum bearing portion at the opposite end, fulcrum means interposed between the bearing portions, member engageable means carried by each of the levers between the ends thereof for lever movement, and spring means normally constraining said levers to contact engagement,

the fulcrum bearing portions having corresponding inclinations and the fulcrum means including opposed inclined surfaces simultaneously engageable by said portions, the bearing portions and fulcrum means being slidable relative to each other and the spring means is of strap type and rotatably mounted intermediate its ends, and engaged at each end with one of said levers for floatingly supporting the latter, the fulcrum means being rotatably mounted and of frustoconical type, the surface thereof having spaced longitudinal elemental arranged portion seating grooves therein.

10. An ignition system breaker switch structure including in combination a rotatable actuating member, a pair of levers, one at each side of the member, and substantially encircling same, said members each having a contact at one end and a fulcrum bearing portion at the opposite end, fulcrum means interposed between the bearing portions. member enlaceable means carried by each of the levers between the ends thereof for lever movement. and spring means normally constraining said levers to contact engagement, the fulcrum bearing portions having corresponding inclinations and the fulcrum means including opposed inclined surfaces simultaneously engageable by said portions, the bearing portions and fulcrum means being slidable relative to each other and the spring means is of strap type and rotatably mounted intermediate its ends. and engaged at each end with one of said levers for floatingly supporting the latter, the levers being identical and the fulcrum means being singular in character for simultaneous ad- Justment of both levers and to a like delree.

11. In an ignition system breaker switch structure having a casing, a continuously rotatable regular polygon member. and a breaker switch supporting plate. oscillatably supported by the casing the combination of a breaker switch carried by said plate and including a pair of lever means each floatingly carried by the plate and at opposite sides of the member, and having one pair of adjacent ends provided with contacts, singular, means operativelyengaged with another pair of adjacent ends of said lever means for simultaneously adjusting each of the pair of lever means for gap variation between the contacts, current carrying leads directly connected to the contacts, and means carried by each lever means between the ends thereof and engageable by the member for simultaneously actuating both of said lever means.

HOWARD L HULL. 

